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Summer vacation is coming up soon so you know what that means—–let’s go to the beach! The sensory groups explored boxes filled with items you might find at the beach. The fine motor groups made beach themed art projects out of paper plates and the language group made a beach inspired treat.

It was a fun filled week and a great theme to end this school year!

SENSORY GROUP

Play sand is a great medium to explore. Not only is it soft to the touch but so fun to watch stream down through the funnel we put in this box!

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

Down near the water the sand denser and perfect for building sandcastles—–like our moon sand! In this box a plastic crab, toy sea turtle and 2 shells could be found. There was also a fun play dough toy. It could be used to make sand castles or rolled along to make footprints in the sand—-very cool!

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

While we don’t have any black sand beaches here, we think they would be pretty cool to explore! Our black sand beach was actually kinetic sand—-always popular with both students and staff! Everyone loves the way kinetic sand feels but since it molds well, we put a cute starfish mold in this box.

The science access point apply a push to move an object can be addressed here.

Playing along the seashore means feeling a cool breeze and water spray. There were a variety of hand operated fans to mimic ocean breezes. We had some with whirling lights and others that did not have blades at all—-very cool!

The students found them fascinating.

The really fun part of this box was our misting water bottle! After we sprayed the water into the air, there were LOTS of giggles from the students as the water droplets fell down on them 🙂

Recognize and respond to different types of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

Of course, with a beach unit we HAD to include our ocean umbrella! Both dolphin and whale sounds were recorded on a voice output device. As usual, this umbrella was a hit—-it really is one of our favorites 🙂

The science access point match living things with their habitats can be addressed here.

Since this is our last post of the year—–and our students are so VERY cute,

here are a few more photos 🙂

For our messy play this week we asked the students to make wavy ocean wave lines in our “sea foam” shaving cream. A really fun way to work on pre-writing skills!

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

Our water play featured a fun little fish and some different sized scoops. Water is always fun for our students and a great way to rinse off messy hands 🙂

Recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids is a math access point.

Sunscreen is a MUST for a day at the beach! Bath and BodyWorks aruba coconut bath gel in our water and its matching scented lotion left our students smelling like they had spent a day at the beach!

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made paper plate sea shells. To make the plates look like shells we just freehanded a little curve along each side of a small paper plate—-pretty easy.

To start out we asked the students to identify the color of our paint using communication symbols.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Then the students painted their sea shells PINK!

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

We added some glitter to give the shell a little sparkle!

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

TA DA!

Fabulous sea shells!!!

On Wednesday the students made crabs using paper plates. Paper plates were folded in half and stapled prior to the group. We also pre-made the crab pincers.

Using communication symbols, the students identified the color of the paint they were going to use to paint their crabs.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

They also identified a semi-circle—–the shape of our crabs!

Recognize a half of an object as part of the whole object is a science access point.

The students added 2 crab pincers (made with chenille stems and construction paper) by putting the chenille stem through holes punched in the plates. They did a really great job with this!

The math access point associate quantities with number names can be addressed here.

Then the students painted their crabs with bright YELLOW paint!

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

2 glue dots were added for 2 googlie eyes! We pre-glued the googlie eyes on to paper circles to make for easier handling.

Match an object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence is a math access point.

TA DA!!!

Such cute little yellow crabs!

They are super cute BUT…….

better watch out for those crab claws 🙂

LANGUAGE GROUP

We did things a little bit differently today. Instead of making something to eat, we made ourselves a nice cool drink! We made a copycat recipe of Sonic’s Ocean Water drink. Here’s the recipe we used: Let_s Make Sonic Ocean Water

We started out by measuring some sugar. We talked about how we use measuring spoons rather than measuring cups. We added some water and then microwaved the ingredients for 30 seconds.

While the ingredients were in the microwave, we talked about how things get HOT when they are heated up. Once the sugar and water was finished, we stirred it up and let it sit for a bit to cool down. When it was safe, the students got to feel the warm bowl.

Recognize objects or materials as warm or cold is a science access point.

We counted out 4 drops of food coloring and then added some coconut extract. We stirred it all up and watched as the color CHANGED.

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

We POURED 2 cans of sprite into a pitcher.

Then we poured the other ingredients in and stirred it all up and……

VOILA! We created our own Ocean drink!

The math access point associate quantities with number names is addressed here. The science access point recognize a change in an object is also addressed.

Our students got to request if they wanted any goldfish crackers to go with their drink. They were only given a small amount and had to ask for MORE if they wanted more.

Both the drink and the crackers were hits 🙂

Indicate desire for more of an action or object is math access point.

I think we’re all ready to visit the beach!

Well thank you for joining us! We hope you enjoy your summer as much as we plan to! Hope to see you in the fall for more fun and learning Group by Group!

Ms. Erika, one of our interns, loves candy and came up with this theme for us—–she did a pretty great job! Our sensory groups explored colorful, candy themed boxes. The fine motor groups made sweet art projects and the language group made a Sweet Treat of course!

SENSORY GROUP

Don’t you love how our dyed beans turned out—–so colorful and eye catching! They looked just like real jelly beans. We were a little concerned that our students would try to eat them but fortunately it did not turn out to be a problem 🙂 We put in 3 letter C’s for the students to find.

The math access point recognize two objects that are the same size or color can be addressed here.

Some candies are SOFT and others are HARD. In this box we put in a variety of items that were either hard or soft for our students to compare and contrast. There were lots of fun things for the students to explore and they really had a blast!

Match objects with similar observable properties, such as size, shape, color, or texture is a science access point.

Watermelon Kool-aid made our play dough a PERFECT bubble gum pink—-it really looked like the real thing! The students used an oval shaped cookie cutter to cut out pieces of “gum”.

Recognize that pushing or pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

There were tons of colorful foam “circus” peanuts for the students to scoop and pour in this next eye catching box!

The math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects using language, such as enough, too much, or more, can be addressed here.

There were 2 different sized heart shaped cookie cutters in this box. The students used them to cut out Bubber “candy” hearts.

Recognize differences in size of objects is a math access point.

Cocoa powder was added to the oobleck this week to make “chocolate” syrup! It smelled REALL good and the students were quite fascinated with it.

The science access point track the movements of objects that are pushed or pulled can be addressed here.

Ms. Kim got us some packages of Mr. Bubble Magic Bath Crackles for our water play this week. These things were AWESOME—-like pop rocks on steroids. We could hear them crackling from across the room! Hard to photograph of course, but take our word for it—–this was cool 🙂

Recognize and respond to common sounds is a science access point.

Vanilla sugar scent from Bath and BodyWorks was the perfect scent for this week. Our students left the group smelling just like sweet treats themselves 🙂

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made some “chocolate” donuts!

First they identified a circle using communication symbols.

Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, such as circle is a math access point.

Then they painted their “donuts” with glitter glue.

Apply a push to move an object is a math access point.

Time to add sprinkles!

Solve problems involving small quantities of objects using language, such as enough, too much, or more, is a math access point.

We started out by making vanilla pudding. Each of our students felt the bottle of milk and indicated on their communication board that it was COLD.

Recognize objects or materials as warm or cold is a science access point.

We PUT 2 cups of milk into a bowl and then added the white chocolate pudding mix. Before each item was poured into the bowl, the student helping had to indicate– either verbally, with sign, or with their communication board– that they wanted to help.

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

Each student got to help MIX the ingredients using a switch. Throughout, they had to indicate that the pudding had to be mixed MORE until it was all done.

Activate a device that uses electricity is a science access point.

Next, we added some blueberry pie filling to the pudding and STIRRED it around. Then we counted out fillo shells for each student and added 1 spoonful to each shell.

The science access point recognize changes in observable properties of materials can be addressed here. The math access point associate quantities with number names is also addressed.

Last, each student had to indicate whether or not they WANTed whipped cream or if they just wanted to get started eating their sweet treat 🙂

YUM!

We had a pretty SWEET time this week 🙂 Join us again for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

Konnichiwa! Since May is Asian Pacific Heritage month, we decided to learn about the fascinating country of Japan this week. The sensory groups explored boxes related to facts about Japan. The fine motor groups made Japanese inspired art projects and the language group made a tasty Japanese inspired treat.

SENSORY GROUP

The students sorted pompom’s in the colors of the Japanese flag—-red and white. We added some “training” chopsticks (tongs) to the box. Most of the students needed a little help using the tongs but some of them were able to manipulate them independently.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

As a nod to the millions of lights in Tokyo, the capitol of Japan, we had a light box and some lighted toys for the students to explore. The students had so much fun with all the different light sources!

Recognize a source of light is a science access point.

The light box was really popular….

especially with the lights turned off!

This box contained a variety of objects that are related to Japanese culture including a “lucky” black cat, video game characters, toy cars, and cherry blossoms. We used red and white paper shred because those are the colors of the Japanese flag. Sesame Street characters were also included as a nod to Japanese-American actor Alan Muraoka who owns Hooper’s Store on the show.

The science access point recognize a model of a real object, is a science access point.

There are lots of different types of tea grown in Japan. The students searched for letter J’s in this box of tea leaves. We put in a little rake to give it a little “zen” feel. There was also a Japanese flag to find at the bottom of the box. The tea leaves had an interesting aroma and texture that our students found intriguing.

Track the movements of objects that are pushed or pulled is a science access point.

The character Hello Kitty originated in Japan and is now popular around the world! She loves the color pink so we had to use our pink rice for her box 🙂 In addition to some Hello Kitty toys and a picture at the bottom of the box, we put in 2 different sized scoops. This one was lots of fun!

The math access point recognize differences in size of objects can be addressed here.

Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano that can be seen from Tokyo and is a symbol of Japan. The students had a blast adding shaving cream snow to a laminated drawing of the mountain!

Recognize that pushing or pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

Ramen noodles are very popular in Japanese restaurants, so for our water play we used our plastic “ramen” noodles. They gave a really interesting textural feel to the water this week. For added fun, there were 2 little koi fish swimming around that squirted water when squeezed!

Recognize and respond to different types of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

For both our water play and lotion we used Bath and BodyWorks cherry blossom scent. The students really liked the aroma! As usual, we used our Pixon board to help them communicate WHERE they wanted the lotion placed.

The science access point recognize one or more external body parts is addressed here.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made cherry blossom pictures!

They started by identifying the color PINK using communication symbols.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Next they used a brown marker to make tree branches.

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

One of our students used our switch operated “writer” .

He is getting really good at using his switch!

Then they used a soda bottle to stamp their cherry blossoms.

We directed them to stamp UP and DOWN with their bottles.

Recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down is a science access point.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Next the students began painting their koi. We showed them a picture of real koi and pointed out that some of them had patches of color instead of being solid colored.

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

The students took turns adding their koi to the pond!

Recognize when an object has been added to a situation is a math access point.

Ta DA! We made some colorful koi!

LANGUAGE GROUP

It was a bit of a challenge coming up with something that we could cook that doesn’t require heating things up, but after some research, we found that in Japan they eat cheesecake for dessert. Since cherry blossoms are in abundance during the spring, we decided to make mini cherry cheesecakes. Here is the recipe we used: Let_s Make a Mini-Cherry Cheesecake.

We started out by measuring 2 cups of milk. Before we measured it out, each student felt the milk. We talked about how it felt COLD.

Recognize objects or materials as warm or cold is a science access point.

We PUT the milk in the bowl and added the cheesecake pudding mix.

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

Then, each of our students got a TURN to press the switch to activate the mixer.

Activate a device that uses electricity is a science access point.

Once the pudding was set, we counted out how many mini-graham cracker pie crusts we needed. Each student got to PUT 3 spoonfuls of pudding into their pie crust.

Then, they each counted out 3 cherries to go on top.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Once the pies were done, each student used their communication symbols to request a spoon by indicating WANT.

With March Madness going on we thought it would be fun to learn a little bit about the history of the sport. The sensory group explored boxes related to different facts about the sport. The fine motor groups made basketball themed art projects and the language group played an adapted version of the game.

SENSORY GROUP

James Naismith invented the game of basketball. This box was dedicated to him and had lots of Canadian symbols since that is where he was born. We included a toy stethoscope because not only was he a PE teacher but he was also a physician—-how cool is that!

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point that can be addressed with this activity.

Using Koolaid we made our play dough a nice bright basketball orange. The students could make balls, stamp letter B’s, or just squish and squeeze the play dough. They throughly had a good time.

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

Basketball is played with 2 teams consisting of 5 players each.We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reinforce some math facts with this box! There were 5 blue and 5 red items for the students to explore and sort——-or shake 🙂

The math access point solve simple problems involving joining or separating small quantities of objects can be addressed here.

There were more opportunities for sorting with this box filled with beads in the colors of the NBA—-red, white, and blue! Of course, it was mostly an opportunity to wear or shake the beads!

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

In 1936 basketball became an Olympic sport. Using giant fluffy chenille stems the students had fun making circles, joining them together, and taking them apart. The chenille stems also provided another opportunity to discuss colors.

Recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation is a math access point.

The students were encouraged to draw circles/balls in this orange tinted shaving cream.

Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point.

We put some foam numbers in our water play this week. The students got to “score” by scooping up either 2 or 3 points!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Since the original hoops were actually peach baskets, peach was the obvious scent to use this week for our water play and lotion! Our students are getting pretty good at using the Pixon board to tell us where they want the lotion.

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made their own basketball playbooks!

We started with a rectangular piece of paper with a basketball court sketch and some X’s and O’s drawn on it by Ms. Zenia the fabulous OT intern!

Then the fun began! The students got to operate a switch activated drawing tool to illustrate their play calling. There were certainly some interesting strategies planned 🙂

Distinguish between objects in motion and objects at rest is a science access point.

TA Da—-game on!

On Wednesday the students made paper plate basketballs!

We started by identifying the shape of our plates and color of our paint using communication symbols.

Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point. Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Then the students stamped their plates with a dish scrubber. We emphasized stamping UP and DOWN.

Recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship is a math access point.

TA DA—-time to play!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had our own tournament today in honor of March Madness. We used an All-Turn-It spinner that had 2’s and 3’s all around it to signify the points that basketball players make during a game.

Both adults and students got to be in the tournament. We started out by picking 2 names out of a bag. These 2 people would play against each other.

We had communication boards in front of each student so that they could convey “my turn”. The 2 “players” took turns and had 3 times each to press the switch and see what points they got.

We used a white board to write down the points that each player made. Once they each went 3 times, we added up the scores and talked about who had MORE points.

Once we figured out who the winner was, the next 2 players competed and so on until we finally had an overall winner.

This group was so great today because it gave the adults a great chance to model the use of the communication boards while they were playing the game. Everyone got so excited, too, when we had to go into overtime if the players tied.

Finally, we had a winner!

Of course, we can’t NOT have a little snack in this group so we summed it all up with some basketball shaped Vanilla Wafers 🙂

Shalom! Our very own Nurse Jill recently went to Israel for a vacation so we decided to learn a little more about the country! The sensory group boxes were related to facts about Israel. The fine motor groups made art projects based on symbols of the country and the language group made a tasty Israeli snack.

We enjoyed learning lots of interesting things about Israel this week and hope you do too!

SENSORY GROUP

To get to Israel you have to fly on an airplane. We brought out our vibrating massager and recorded some airplane sounds (found on Youtube) on a voice output device to simulate the experience for our students. The students really liked the vibrating massager—–it is usually a hit 🙂

Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

The colors of the Israeli flag are blue and white. Our blue and white rice contained letter I’s to find as well as a picture of the flag at the bottom of the box.

Associate an object, picture, or symbol with a location is a social studies access point.

The Negev desert covers more than half of Israel! In our miniature version we included some wooden blocks to let the students recreate their own ancient ruins. Nurse Jill also brought back some little camels that we also included.

The math access point recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation can be addressed here.

The Dead Sea is well known tourist destination and the waters are VERY salty! The students loved scooping up the salt and watching it stream out of the bottom of the funnel. There was also a map of Israel to find at the bottom of the box.

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

As opposed to the Dead Sea, the Eilat coral reef is teaming with life! The students got to make their own coral reef using pink Floam. The Floam texture is always pretty intriguing to the students and all they also liked all the colorful accessories such as little sea creatures and sea anemones we included.

Match common living things with their habitats is a science access point.

During Sukkot, a jewish holiday, children sleep in cabins decorated with fairy lights. We created a similar effect with a lighted umbrella which was definitely a hit with the students! This was a pretty simple umbrella to construct but it really had a lovely effect 🙂

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

Israel is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. Our miniature version contained 2 small and 1 big fish to scoop up.

Recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects is a math access point.

Israel grows a lot of citrus fruit so we chose a yummy orange scent this week. The students really liked having it rubbed on hands, arms, or behind ears!

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made a Canaan dog which is the national dog of Israel. We used this: canaan dog template

First we discussed the color of our paint and the students used communication symbols to identify the color BROWN.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Then the students began painting! We precut the dog templates out of orange poster board. A popsicle stick was taped to the back, this support made the dogs easier to hold.

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

We squeezed out a dot of glue and asked the students to add a little googlie eye. Then we helped them add a chenille stem to make a curly tail—–a feature of the Canaan dog. This was a great opportunity to practice pincer grasp skills!

Match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence is a math access point.

Ta Woof Woof Da!

Such cute puppies 🙂

On Wednesday the students made an Israeli flag.

First we identified the color of the stripes on the flag.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Then the students used a paper cutter to cut 1 piece of paper into 2 pieces! We encouraged the students to use both hands when using the paper cutter—–practicing bilateral coordination.

Associate quantities with number names is a science access point.

Next they glued their papers strips near the TOP and BOTTOM of a white piece of paper. They glued a star of David to the MIDDLE of their paper.

The math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship can be addressed here.

Ta DA!

Let’s visit Israel!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We were SO excited to have Nurse Jill come and help us with our language group today. We asked her what kinds of food she ate in Israel and she said that hummus was on the menu pretty much every day. So that’s what she helped us make today! Here is the recipe:Let_s Make Hummus!

We started out by putting the liquids into the blender. First we put olive oil in the blender and followed that up with the lemon juice. You know how much we LOVE taste testing lemon juice and today was no exception. We got a wide variety of reactions as usual 🙂

We talked about how the lemon juice was SOUR.

We poured some tahini into the blender next. Then we added the chickpeas and garlic.

Recognize when an object has been added to a situation is a math access point.

Since it is so pungent, we passed the garlic around for everyone to smell.

Again, we found that students either really liked it or really didn’t!

Lastly, we added some salt. Our students had to HELP put the blender on using a switch. We observed the ingredients MIXING together until they were smooth.

This was fun!!

Jill brought some matza so that our students could use it to dip in the hummus. YUM!

THANK YOU so much to Jill for coming in and cooking with us and also telling us all about her wonderful trip!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! We celebrated his birthday this week for Read Across America! Our sensory groups explored colorful boxes inspired by Dr. Seuss books. The fine motor groups made Seuss inspired art projects and the language group made a yummy snack to finish off the week. It was tons of fun and everyone LOVED the book we made to go with this unit—–be sure to check it out!

SENSORY GROUP

This box was filled with lots of Seuss (or Seuss like) items including the ABC book and a fabulous hat! The base of the box was shredded paper—-because Dr. Seuss wrote books back when they were all paper!

The language access point attend to familiar literary forms (ex. picture books) can be addressed here.

The Grinch is one of our favorite characters! The students used green float to form their own Grinch figures using a plastic ornament and some hands from a play dough set. Ok so the Grinch didn’t have purple hands in the original story but we still think they worked pretty well 🙂

The science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed here.

We used some sawdust as the base of our Zoo box. There were a variety of animals and a little zookeeper to help take care of them. In addition, we put a picture of a lion at the bottom of the box and asked the students to find the animal that was the same as the picture.

Match animals based on a given shared characteristic is a science access point that can be addressed here.

We thought our shaker pom poms kind of looked like the tops of Truffula trees! Colorful, eye catching and so much fun to shake! We haven’t brought these out for a while and the students were pretty excited to see them again!

The science access point distinguish between objects in motion and at rest can be addressed here.

The students also got a little goofy and had fun pretending to be Truffle trees by putting the pom poms on their heads.

Pretty fun stuff 🙂

The students found the letters A B and C in colorful pasta. We put in 2 of each letter so the students could match them. Of course, it was also fun to just put hands in too!

Match objects by on observable property, such as shape is a science access point.

With a Dr. Seuss unit, you HAVE to have oobleck! Gooey, drippy, always fun!

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move, is a science access point.

There were 2 blue fish to find in our bubble filled water play. These fish were especially fun since they squirted water when squeezed—-there were lots of giggles with this 🙂

Recognize two objects that are the same size or color is a math access point.

We used Bath and BodyWorks apple scented bath gel in our water play and again for our lotion this week. This was a perfect scent to help us remember all the fun we had this week and was a hit with the students.

The science access point recognize one or more external body parts is addressed here.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday, the students made their own puff balls and became little Who’s to dance on them!

After discussing the circle shape of the puff ball and identifying it using communication symbols we mixed together shaving cream and glue.

The math access point recognize when an object or material is addressed here.

The students painted the mixture onto a purple circle. This thick gooey mixture dries like puffy paint—-so cool!

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

We added a little glitter and then each student put a cutout pictures of themselves to the puffball.

The math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down, is addressed here.

Ta Da———- super cute!!!!!!

On Wednesday the students made a Horton inspired elephant!

First we discussed the shapes we were using and asked them to identify a circle using communication symbols.

Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes is a math access point.

The students cut their circles in half using a paper cutter addressing the science access point recognize that pushing or pulling an object makes it move.

Then we looked at how the 2 half circles could be put back together to make a circle.

The math access point recognize parts of common objects can be addressed here.

The elephant’s trunk started as a RECTANGLE which the students then folded an crumpled to give it some dimension!

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

Then the students began assembling their elephants—-a big circle face, 2 half circle ears, a rectangle trunk AND 2 big, round googlie eyes!

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

We used Pixon communication boards throughout that had fringe vocabulary focusing on cooking.

We also used super large symbols such as the symbol “turn” when it was time to turn the page of our recipe book.

We started out by crushing up graham crackers using a rolling pin. We broke this part up between a couple of students, so after the first student crushed them a bit our students had to indicate that we needed to crush them up MORE.

Once the graham crackers were finished, we put them in a bowl and POURed melted butter on top. Our students helped STIR the ingredients together then we PRESSed them into a baking pan.

Next, we combined some whipped cream and cream cheese. Again, our students helped STIR the ingredients together. When finished, we SPREAD half of the mix over the graham crackers in the pan.

Then, we put some apple pie filling on top of the whipped cream mix! We ended up pureeing the apples since some of our students have special diets.

We finished it up by SPREADing the rest of the whipped cream mix on top of the apples and sprinkling some graham crackers on top.

Our delicious apple dessert was a hit——–YUM!!!!!

We all had a blast this week! Join us again next time for more fun——– Group by Group!

We traveled again this week but a little closer to home—-the great state of Louisiana! Our sensory groups explored boxes related to facts and symbols of the state. The fine motor groups used markers and crayons to complete their projects and the language group led a Mardi Gras parade.

It was a really fun week that both students and staff enjoyed—–so let the good times roll!

SENSORY GROUP

This box was filled with symbols of Louisiana including the state bird (pelican), beverage (milk), amphibian (frog), honey bees (insect), and mammal (black bear). We also recorded a version of “You are my Sunshine” one of the state songs, on a voice output device. All of this was put on a base of paper shred in state colors: blue, white, and gold!

Recognize a model of a really object is a science access point.

We made 3 discovery bottles made using the state colors. One was all gold and one was all blue. The third was a mixture of white, blue, and gold beads floating around in gold glitter. VERY eye catching!

The science access point track objects in motion can be addressed here.

New Orleans, Louisiana is known for its Mardi Gras celebrations and the colorful beads thrown from the floats during parades! This box was filled with beads in Mardi Gras colors. Fun to look at, wear, touch, or watch move when pushed or shaken.

Track the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled is a science access point.

Looking super cute while wearing Mardi Gras beads–

that’s just how our students roll 🙂

This Mardi Gras rice was made for a unit we did a while ago and it was fun bringing it out again. It really is one of our prettiest mixtures and is just so eye catching! We put in letter L’s and a map of Louisiana for the students to find.

The social studies access point, associate an object, picture, or symbol with a location can be addressed here.

We made some sunshine yellow play dough for the state song “You are my sunshine”. The students had fun squeezing together, pulling apart, or rolling the play dough into balls. We also included a little textured rolling pin to make some “sun rays” and a cookie cutter letter L to add to the fun.

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

For our messy play we went back to the Louisiana state colors—-we sprinkled BLUE and YELLOW glitter into WHITE shaving cream! The students had fun making swirls, lines, letter L’s, or just squishing it between fingers 🙂

The science access point recognize pushing and pulling an object makes it move is again addressed here.

We put some plastic crawfish and a rubber alligator to swim around in our water this week. Bath and BodyWorks vanilla sugar bath gel was also added because we thought it smelled like beignets—-those yummy New Orleans donuts!

The science access point match animals that are the same can be addressed here.

The matching lotion was a hit with our students this week. They really liked its sweet aroma and after having it rubbed on hands and arms they left the group smelling like yummy beignets!

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

On Wednesday we made some trumpets in honor of Louis Armstrong who was born in Louisiana. We used the state colors again for this project!

We started by asking the students to identify a rectangle——the shape of the paper we were going to use.

Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes is a math access point.

Then they used markers and crayons to color or draw on their papers.

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

The drawings were wrapped around paper towel tubes that had been taped to paper bowls and……….TA DA!

Our students are ready to play a little jazz!

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students decorated a pelican, the state bird, using this: pelican-template

First we discussed the state colors and asked the students to identify the color blue using communication symbols.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Then the students scribbled on their penguins with blue and yellow markers. One of our students scribbled using a pressure switch activated vibrating massager with a marker glued to it. He activates switches using his elbow and is getting really good at it!

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

TA Da! We love the Pelican State!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Since Mardi Gras is coming up, we decided to have our own Mardi Gras celebration!

Our language group entertained the entire elementary staff and students with a small parade around the building.

Our students dressed up in hats and boas and gave out beads to all of the spectators. We even put on some zydeco music to walk to!

It was a fun crowd after all——– everyone loves a parade!

We are a really fun bunch 🙂

Once we rounded everyone up, we gathered together in the multi-purpose room for our party!

What is a party without cake and ice cream! We had King cake of course and topped with vanilla ice cream (thanks Jeannie) with apple juice to drink. The students requested what they wanted using communication symbol sentence strips.

YUMMY!!

With zydeco music playing, we had to start dancing 🙂

Our students have moves!!!!

Whether sitting and listening to music or getting their groove on—–

the students had a blast!

The photo booth was also so much fun and we had lots of colorful props!

Lots of opportunities for communication as the students had to communicate which props they wanted for their photos.

All of the dancing and fellowship was awesome and we all had a great time!